Polishing guard



Sept. 2, 1952 J. G. McNElL POLISHING :GUARD Filed Feb. 27, 1952 ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 2, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE POLISHING GUARD Jack G. McNeil, Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. Application February 27, 1952, Serial No. 273,763

4 Claims. 1

tached thereto metal buttons, insignia and the like, which require periodic polishing for best appearance. the garments or uniforms by a single, attaching means, as by sewing or by an attaching member secured to the button and piercing the garment. Insignia frequently have a plurality of Buttons are commonly attached to spaced attaching means formed thereon and.

adapted to pierce the garment, and the spacing between such spaced attaching means varies in diiierent types and sizes of insignia. Therefore, a guard means which will effectively protect the fabric of the garment from soilage by the polishing agent should be adapted to embrace either a single attaching means or a plurality of variously spaced attaching means.

The primary object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide an improved polishing guard so constructed and arranged as to readily encompass either a single attaching means or a plurality of variously spaced attaching means as may be presented for cleaning or polishing.

With the above and other objects in view the invention may be fully understood by reference to the accompanying drawings and annexed specification illustrating and describing a preferred embodiment thereof.

In the drawings- Fig. 1 is a plan view of the guard member in closed adjusted position for cleaning buttons and small insignia;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the guard member in closed adjusted position for cleaning large insignia, badges and the like employing a plurality of widely spaced attaching means;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the guard member in open position ready to be fitted around and under an article to be polished;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view through the guard member as taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the complementary guard pieces shown disassembled.

Referring to the drawings, the improved polishing guard comprises complementary guard members A and B advantageously formed of thin sheet material, for example sheet metal,

2 plastic sheeting, cardboard and the like. Each of the members A and B may be ofgeneral L'- shape having an elongated body portion 10 and a lateral offset section or leg I l at one end therer of. The members A and B are assembled together in opposed relation with the offset-legs H at opposite ends of the assembly and each underlying or overlying, as desired, an adjacent body portion [0 of the other guard member. The adjacent edges of the assembled members A and B thus present open recesses defined by the inner edge H. of the leg II and the inner edge l3 of the body portion 10.

These guard members A and B are connected in assembled relation so that they may be adjusted longitudinally relative to eachother as well as swung about a pivotal axis from relatively open to closed position and'vice versa. This advantageously may be accomplished by providing an elongated slot M in at least one of the guard members, for example the lateral leg portion H of the guard members illustratedhere in as the member B, and preferably a similar elongated slot l5 in the end of the body portion opposite the leg I I of the other member illustrated herein as the member A. The members A and B are pivotally and slidably connected together in assembled relation by a loose slidable pivot extended through the coinciding slots of the overlapping portions l0 and II of the members A and B. This slidable pivot advantageously may comprise a pair of disc-like washers l6, one on each side of the assembled sheets A and. B, which washers may be interconnected by a suitable fastener such as a tubular rivet [1.

It will be apparent that the above construction of polishing guard permits the guard members A and B to be swung apart about the pivot extended through the slots 1 5 to an open position as shown in Fig. 3. The guard members may be swung to closed position under a button or insignia, and shifted longitudinally to encompass the attaching means of the button or insignia as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. In the case of a button or insignia C having a single attaching means 0' the guard members are relatively shifted so that the lateral extensions are closer together and partially underlie the button C, as shown in Fig. 1. When used with other insignia having a plurality of spaced attaching means 41', for example the in-' signia of the rank of a major general, indicated bydotted lines D, Fig. 2, the guard member may be longitudinally shifted to separate the extensions, and thus elongate the recess formed therebetween. The combination of the pivot l1 shift-'- able in the elongated slot provides for substantial adjustment of the guard members to accommodate attaching means of various spacing, and when registering slots 15 are provided in both guard members, as shown, the range of adjustment is considerably increased.

While I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of polishing guard, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be restricted to the specific-details thereof, as the scope of the invention is best defined in" the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A polishing guard comprising a pair .cf elongated members of sheet material, at least one of said members being provided with a laterally extended portion adjacent one end thereof adapt- 4 tending laterally from one edge of the body portion adjacent one end thereof, said guard members being adapted to be connected together in opposed partially overlapping relation so that the opposed adjacent edge portions of the body and adjoining edge of adjoining legs cooperate to form an opening for the reception of attaching means for buttons, insignia and the like, the overlapping portions of said guard members at oneend of the assembled structurelbeing' provided with registering elongated slots, and pivot means slidable in said slots for pivotally connecting said guard members together for lateral swinging movement to open and closed position while permitting longitudinal shifting of said guard mem- "bers relative to each other to vary the effective ed to overlap an end portion of the other memher, said laterally extended portion and said overlapped portion of said member being each provided With a longitudinally extending slot, and pivot means loosely mounted in said slot for -connecting said members together permitting lateral swinging as well as longitudinal shifting of said members relative to each other.

2. A polishing guard comprising a pair of complementary members of sheet material each having a body portion and an extension extending laterally from one side edge adjacent one end thereof, the extension of one of said members and length .of the attaching-means-receiving opening.

, 4:. A poiishing guard for buttons, insignia and the like having attaching means of various spacings comprising a pair of guard members of sheet material each having an elongated body portion and a relatively shorter leg portion extending laterally from one edge of the body portion adja: cent one end thereof, said guard members being adapted to be connected together in opposed partially overlapping relation so that the opposed adjacent edge portions of the body and adjoining edge of adjoining legs cooperate to form an opening for the reception of attaching means for buttons, insignia and the like, the

over lapping portion of at least one of said guard members-being provided with a longitudinally extending slot, and pivot means slidable in said slot for pivotally connecting said guard members together for lateral swinging movement to JACK -G. MCNEIL.

No references cited. 

